Window construction for buildings.



W. L. WELTON 1]. HERNDON. WINDOW CONSTRUCTION FOR BUILDINGS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21.1915

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

@lwwndozs WM-LLJLlL-WLLTON- -HE.LNDON" ii .a ra s WINDOW CONSTRUCTION FOR BUILDINGS.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, XVILLIAM LnsLn; \VELTON and JULIAN HERNDON, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vindow Construction for Buildings, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a building structure wherein the window space for display or show windows, or for lighting purposes is left uninterrupted by the supports required for the exterior building wall above the window.

Our invention is applicable to structural framing or buildings of steel, armored concrete, or any material, and our object is to set in the columns or structural supports for the exterior wall above the window opening so that it is not necessary to interrupt the window space by columns or supports and thus we obtain a practically uninterrupted line of plate glass for show window display orfor lighting. The principle involved applies to street fronts of buildings and also to exterior walls where it is a desideratum to provide the maximum possible light for a substantial space inwardly from the window opening.

The value of land in the congested business districts has forced the construction of tall buildings. Such buildings to be commercially successful are dependent upon deriving large revenue from their ground level space. As such ground level space is in a majority of instances utilized for display purposes, such as show windows, and since in accordance with the present practice the show window space is very materially curtailed by the space required for the columns or supports for the exterior wall of the building above the show windows, it follows that if a practical structure can be devised which will provide a practically uninterrupted window opening for display purposes, it will possess great commercial value.

With this object in view we have designed a. structure wherein we obtain a show window which is continuous and uninterrupted by the wall support, this end being attained by setting back for a substantial distance into the structure the main wall supporting columns and supporting the external walls above the continuous show window from these columns by a system of cantaliver conopening.

7 Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NO 2, 19 15, Application filed July 21, 1915. Serial No. 41,165. i

struction in the form of beams, slabs or like.

means. It will also be obvious that our inventlon-is applicable to lighting conditions on other than ground floor levels where it is desirable to provide a practicallycontinuous window space to afford the maximum natural light along the Walls .ofthe room} In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated a typical embodiment of our invention as applied to developing a structure having a continuous show window space.-

As illustrated in the drawings, the show. window is formed by a series of plate glass sections 1 which are held in place by the muntins or mullions 2 so that they constitute in effect a continuous show window. Overhead these muntins are connected to a light beam 3 above which are supported the prism glass windows a which, like the show windows below, is practically continuous except for narrow muntins or mullions 2.

Overhead the external wall of the building is represented as resting for support on a beam 5 of steel or concrete. As shown, this wall and its supporting beam are supported by cantaliver beams 6' which rest at their inner ends upon a series of columns 7 that are spaced substantially inwardly from the exterior wall so as to leave the window space uninterrupted by the wall supporting tends up to a beam 9 level with the window beam 3 and above this we provide a series of windows 10 through which the refracted natural light from the prism glass windows 4: is distributed into the structure.

Obviously our design is applicable toany structure where it is desirable to provide a floor space, such'as that indicated by 11, to which the access of light will be uninterrupted and unabridged by the supports for the external building wall above the window Having thus described the principal points upon which our invention is based and without intendingto limit ourselves to the particular design of structure which we have shown to illustrate our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A structure having an exterior wall, a window extending substantially from end to end of said wall, intermediate supports for the wall formed by columns set in substantially from the Window to leave it uninterrupted by the Wall supports, and cantaliver means to support the exterior structure wall above the Window from said columns.

2. A structure having an exterior wall in which are one or more continuous window openings uninterrupted by intermediate wall supports, columns to support said exterior wall above the window opening or openings and which are set in substantially from said wall, and a system of cantaliver supports to sustain said wall in overhung position from said columns Without abridging the Window openings.

3. A structure having an elongated window opening in its exterior wall, and means to support the said wall above the Window opening without interrupting the latter comprising columns set in substantially from the exterior Wall, and cantaliver means resting on the columns and adapting to support said wall abox e the Window opening.

, In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

WILLIAM LESLIE WELTON. JULIAN HERNDON.

Witness:

NOMIE \VELsH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

